With two leading men (Aaron Paul and Dominic Cooper) and one leading lady (Imogen Poots) in place, DreamWorks is shoving Need For Speed into a new gear, locking down some of the remaining cast members for Scott Waugh’s video game adaptation. The new arrivals include Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek and Harrison Gilbertson. Need finds Paul as central character Tobey Marshall, a veteran driver who is filled with vengeful fire when a friend is killed and he’s framed for the death. Racing at top speed from New York to Los Angeles, he deals with the world of custom cars and dangerous driving to find the man really responsible. Cooper’s playing Dino, a former NASCAR driver who is deep in the world of modifying supercars for wealthy clients, while Poots is an exotic car dealer. Mescudi, who has mostly worked as a music contributor for other DreamWorks titles including Fright Night, is set to be Paul’s friend, which makes us wonder if he’ll be the one to meet a nasty end. Though he’s still known more for his song writing and producing work, “Kid Cudi” has been making the leap to acting, appearing in shorts and this year’s indie comedy Two Night Stand. There’s no word yet on who Rodriguez, Malek and Gilbertson are playing. With Waugh directing a script by George and John Gatins, Need For Speed is set to start shooting soon for an early 2014 release. | 
